Memento Vitae
by Sastrei
Summary: A series of short four-line 'skits' where Lloyd gets to learn more about his mother... although not from who you'd expect. A fun little companion project to my main story, 'Ashes.'


A/N: Hello! This is a fun little side-project I've had going for awhile. It takes place in the universe of my main story 'Ashes'. These are four-line 'skits' where Lloyd gets to learn more about his mom from Sara. Kind of like the Z-skits that popped up in the original game.

I loved doing these because it helped expand my own vision of what Anna used to be like. Plus it's a good exercise in conveying both emotion and new information through short amounts of dialogue alone.

Enjoy! I'll add more as I think of them. And if you have any questions that you think Lloyd would like to ask, please post them in the reviews! And I'll add a new skit! It would be so fun to have reader feedback to help build Anna's character :)

* * *

Lloyd: "What was her favorite color?"

Sara: "Indigo blue."

Lloyd: "Just like my Exsphere, right?"

Sara: "Y-yeah. Now that you mention it, that's exactly it."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "What did she like to eat?"

Sara: "Her absolute favorite meal was barbecued ribs. She'd eat them with a fork, though, because she was just like that. Graceful."

Lloyd: "I… didn't even know you could eat ribs with a fork. How?!"

Sara: "Very carefully."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Did she have a favorite animal?"

Sara: "The unicorn. She loved its grace and selflessness."

Lloyd: "A unicorn… we've seen one for you, Mom."

Sara: "Yeah… Yeah, we did.'

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Did she play any instruments?"

Sara: "Piano. Oh, she was _so_ good at the piano. She used to sit beneath the keys and play for me without ever looking up."

Lloyd: "I...I don't know how to play anything. I was always more interested in swords and fighting than music."

Sara: "It's never too late to learn. Let's do it together. And we'll make everyone listen to our horrible practicing."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Did you ever have pets?"

Sara: "Yes. An wolfhound named George, for eight years. He was bigger than both of us."

Lloyd: "Really? _That_ big?"

Sara: "Sometimes I rode on his back and pretended we were conquering the universe with our trusty dog sidekick: _George Irving - Space Hound!_ "

…

* * *

Lloyd: "What did she do when she was sad?"

Sara: "...Help other people. She always just wanted to help everyone."

Lloyd: "Why?"

Sara: "It took her mind off of our current problems. It made her feel fortunate. If she could brighten someone else's day, that was enough."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Did she want a boy?"

Sara: "She wanted a healthy, beautiful child. ...You more than fulfilled that for her."

Lloyd: "I wonder... if she knows how much I miss her."

Sara: "Pray to her. Tell her. You never know - she might just be listening."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Was she good at spelling?"

Sara: "Oh, the _best_. She was so smart, kid. When she was 16, she won a spelling bee, actually. Her winning word was 'discombobulated'."

Lloyd: "'Discom...'what? Th-that's really a word? How do you spell that?"

Sara: "Hell if I know. I just thought it was fun to say."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "What was your favorite memory with her?"

Sara: "...One day, when I was seven, she came to get me from school. I was waiting outside, and some kids came up to me and started making fun of me for my freckles and hair. Little assholes, they were, calling me 'speckle-face' or 'pumpkin-head.' I got so mad at them that I started to cry - but then Anna showed up. She told me to ignore them, and we left. On our way home, she kissed me on each of my cheeks, one kiss for each freckle. She told me I was beautiful, and those other kids only made fun of me because they were sad and jealous. She told me not to be angry at them, but to help them find happiness next time they made fun of me."

Lloyd: "Wow… she was really amazing, huh? What did you do?"

Sara: "The next morning I went straight up to their leader and punched him right in the face."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Ugh… it's morning _already_? Hey, was Mom a morning person?"

Sara: "Ah ha, nope. Not at _all._ I'm not, either, but I at least had some semblance of an internal clock. Anna was _always_ late to stuff because she overslept. We came up with a variety of creative excuses to save her, though."

Lloyd: "Wow, really? Like what?"

Sara: "One time when she was late for teaching a class, she burst through the front doors of the Martel Temple carrying me in her arms and sobbing. We pretended I'd been mauled by a wild boar and she had to take me to the doctor. I even used ketchup to make it look more realistic. My shirt smelled like tomatoes for days. Worth it."

…

* * *

Lloyd: "Did she have a favorite song?"

Sara: "...I don't know if it was her favorite, but it's one she always sang to me to help me sleep. It was called _Once You Had Gold -_ some sort of old lullaby from a faraway land."

Lloyd: "Do… you remember how it went?"

Sara: "Heh. You should know. She told me she sang it to you all the time, too."


End file.
